Taste the Blood of Dracula is an entertaining Hammer picture, not particularly great but nor is it the worst of Christopher Lee’s outings as the eponymous Count.
The film takes the interesting stance of killing its demonic antihero within the first 5 minutes, Hammer repeated this in Dracula A.D 1972. Roy Kinnear a salesman who stumbles across the staked, and dying Count, bottles the fiend’s blood and sells it to the highest bidder. In this case, the evil Ralph Bates and his coven of devil-worshippers. Their ritual entails that they must drink this ketchup-resembling blood , hence the title. Ralph Bates ingests this foul liquid and, basically, becomes Christopher Lee (after being beaten to death by his pals). This whole premise is delivered with a peculiar relish that is rather satisfying, the onscreen introductions to the Count are made awesome with a thunderous score and shadowy lighting.
Apparently the unusual transformation of the film’s villain was due to Christopher Lee agreeing to take the role at the eleventh hour, therefore Ralph Bates’s role mercilessly cut short to make way for Hammer’s premier icon. You would never know this judging by what’s on display as it doesn’t have that rushed look. Admittedly it is not in the same league of some of hammer’s other greats such as Twins Of Evil, Horror Of Dracula or Curse Of The Werewolf, it does have a juicey style of its own and a bloodthirsty glee which makes it eminently watchable.
Most notable is the film’s conceit of Dracula using a proselyte to carry out his dirty deeds, his servant (who he has under his hypnotic power) is also the film’s damsel in distress and pure virgin. Hence this film subverts the norms, making the buxom victim (who we care for) the killer. This servant of evil/virgin damsel is adeptly played by Linda Hayden – one of hammer’s more beautiful starlets. She displays a wide-eyed innocence and chubby girl-next-door quality missing in their other films. This whole pretty-girl-turns-vicious-killer was a major preoccupation for Hammer during the early seventies, the best being Countess Dracula and Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde (a film in which Ralph Bates is really given the opportunity to shine).
The film’s central theme seems to be an inversion of the Christian ethos of the Lord’s Supper, the principle of drinking the blood of Christ and being a servant dedicated to good deeds is changed to being enslaved to evil acts and drinking the blood of Dracula, the antichrist himself. This is all quite subtle and isn’t worn on the film’s sleeve, as are the religious connotations of the excellent Wicker Man or The Satanic Rites Of Dracula.
OVERALL SUMMARY
I would recommend this film to anyone interested in Hammer or Dracula. It is a fun romp, full of atmosphere and all the staples of gothic horror – an excellent climax is played out in a derelict cathedral. Just don’t expect a masterpiece.
